Non-destructive material inspection using ultrasonic waves for the detection of flaws in components are well known conventionally.
More often than not, challenges arrive while inspecting components, such as aerofoil, filet radius, and specifically, low pressure last stage steam turbine blades using ultrasonic techniques due to varying size, shapes and geometries, and compactness of the components with respect to each other. Generally, for ultrasonic inspection for turbine blades, conventionally known specialized tools are available that have varying shapes and designs and include probes. These conventionally known tools are inserted between the blades for inspection thereof. The probes release and receive ultrasonic waves from the blades to determine flaws in the blades. Among the various requirements for the accurate ultrasonic inspection of the blades by the conventional tool is the essential requirement of matching the tool profile with the blade profile. This requirement makes it essential to produce various tools with probes with respect to each individual blade profile adding to overall cost of inspection of turbine blades.
An example of a known tool is discussed in U.S. patent application no. 2007/0044564 A1. The tool comprises a sensor holder that is shaped to conform to the shape of a test body and further made of a material that enables rapid prototyping. By means of an adjustable corner portion the sensor holder's shape may be adjusted to take into account various widths of the test body along its length. The sensor fixed to the holder may be an ultrasonic inspection device.
Another example of a known tool is discussed in EP2096433A1. The tool comprises a rail for guiding the carriage that is used to hold a test heading configured for nondestructively material testing. The rail is made of, for example, epoxy resin thus enabling quickly manufactured of a rail that conforms to the surface shape of a test body. The rail further includes grooves in which guiding rollers of the carriage can be inserted, that guide the carriage along the length of the rail. This enables the testing head, which is mounted on the carriage, to direct a testing device along a defined path of the test body.
Such conventional tools may be quite in practice, and may have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purposes, but may be unsatisfactory in terms of adaptability thereof with respect to varying shapes, size and geometries of the blades.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an ultrasonic inspection of components in an economical and adaptable manner.